House Hendrake History: One of the oldest of the great houses of Chaos, Hendrake's origins are lost in the mists of time. However, a widely believed tradition holds that the founder of the House was the first sentient being to invent and use a weapon. Regardless of the truth of that particular history/fable, Hendrake early on proved one of the most militant and stable factions of the old order, displaying both an unusual degree of battle prowess and clan loyalty. This formidable pairing of traits was at once both an asset and a hindrance; it ensured that the House was to be a perminant and powerful force in the Courts, yet it also made them uniquely unsuited to grasp and hold the ultimate power, that of the throne. In the recorded history of the Courts, there has never been a Hendrake King, and this tern is, in fact, common slang in the courts to describe an impossible position ("Ulric's a Hendrake King for the appointment. Who else is nominated?") Rulership of Chaos goes to the one with subterfuge, broad popularity, command of the Logrus, and force at arms; Hendrake usually only produces two of these at a time. Hendrake became the generals and marshals of the Kingdom, along with House Salendor, another great house with a military tradition almost equal to Hendrake's. The two were bitter rivals; Hendrake instinctively disliked any competitor to their position as the preeiminent militarists of the Courts and disliked the conniving, subtle ways of Salendor, while the Salendor looked upon the Hendrakes as arrogant, inflexible snobs with a reputation in war that rightfully belonged to Salendor. Despite fierce competion, Hendrake leaders were usually appointed more often than their Salendor counterparts. Hendrake generally claimed that this was due to superior skill and worth; the reality is more likely that the Kings of Chaos found that Hendrake generals, with their firm codes of honor and lack of subtle ways, were less likely to stage a coup. It seems likely that mounting bitterness over this succession of Hendrake choices was one of the factors that drove Salendor to join the Great Revolt led by House Barimen. Salendor provided the rebels with their core battle leaders, while Hendrake served the same function for the loyalists. Both houses took a severe rate of attrition during the long and destructive conflict. Hendrake generally claims that its skill at arms was one of the things that began to push the rebels to the point of disaster; like many things about the Great Revolt, this remains impossible to confirm or deny. Salendor, like most of the other rebel houses, was completely destroyed when Dworkin Barimen inscribed the Pattern on a mountaintop in Chaos. Like the others, it's name was striken from the records of the Courts. Hendrake, like the rest of Chaos, was devastated by the reordering of reality. The Wave swept across their ancestoral holdings, destroying and reshaping them as it went, leaving scores abandoned far from the Logrus to die. Hendrake spent the next few centuries preparing for an assault, rebuilding its shattered army, and generally providing the military muscle for a recovering Chaos. They looked on the new era as one of challenges - now there was an Outside, which meant that wars would no longer be merely internal in nature. And the destruction of the enemy had yet to be confirmed; for all anyone knew, the rebellion was still alive and well. Which it was, in a sense, because on the other end of reality the new Kingdom of Amber was leaving its growing pains behind and thriving. The discovery of Amber's existance came as somewhat of a relief to Hendrake. At last, they could get a chance to finish the job. Much to their disgust, the Kings of Chaos resolutely refused to openly go to war on Amber; mostly due to lacking the proper support and stability at home. Instead, Chaos adopted a policy of 'arming the insurgents' and provided shadowwalking guides, advisors, and weaponary to shadow forces with a yen to sack Amber. Swayvill easily gained the support of Hendrake with a promise of finally destroying Amber. With a broad coalition, a renegade Price of Amber, and the backing of the strongest military machine in Chaos, Swayvill launched his attack. The defeat before Amber was a severe setback to both the Courts and Hendrake, who took the blow to their pride with a combination of shock and renewed determination. The victory was largely attributed to the arrival of the automatic weapon brigade, the home ground advantage, and the Jewel of Judgement; and Hendrake defensively pointed out that they had slain the King of Amber before his very gates. The defeat before the Courts was even harder a blow. They had, to all practical purposes, lost the war. This debacle for Hendrake had very major effects upon the House. First, the conservative faction of the house, led by Duke Borel, collapsed like a pile of cards. This was partly because many of them, Borel included, were dead; it was also partly because they had presided over the greatest actual defeats in Hendrake's recorded history. The faction that came to power was far more... liberal... in their thinking. For starters, they immediately buried the notion of revenge against Amber, declaring that the war had been a fair fight and that Amber could not really be termed a continuation of the Revolt. The widespead practice of 'Amberite Worship' helped with this; Benedict was an ideal figure for them to idolize, and it helps take the sting out of a defeat if you reason that the one who did it is divine. They also began rethinking some of the traditional Hendrake attitudes, reasoning that they had produced decidedly unsatisfactory results in the recent war. While military prowess is still held as paramount by the leaders of the house, flexibility is now also emphasised. Corwin's duel with Borel is required reading for all members of the house, and his final statement - 'This isn't exactly the Olympic Games' - has become the sort of unofficial motto of the new Hendrake approach to warfare. This time, they will fight to win. This new idea of war has not proven popular among all members of the house. Lady Dara actually transfered her allegiance out of Hendrake because of it, marrying the Rim Duke Sawall. There remains a small but vocal conservative faction who do not support the new ways, but they are largely split over the Amberite War Guilt issue and too fractured to pose a serious threat to the current rulership. Hendrake has always had a strong sense of house unity, as well, which keeps the prospect of open rebellion within the house low at best. Current Figures: Tybalt ( ;) ) - the current Duke of Hendrake, formerly the leader of the minority liberal faction. Tybalt opposed the war with Amber on the grounds that he could not assure the King of victory; Borel, as a punishment for such disgusting lack of confidence, took him and his supporters from their commands in the front lines. While quite a slap, it also assured that Tybalt and his faction would largely come through the Patternfall War alive and unsullied by the defeat. A rather devious sort for a Hendrake, Tybalt is also a superb general. He was widely regarded as at least the equal of Borel in his management of an army and grasp of strategy, although his skill with a blade is decidedly below that of the former Duke. He has a knack for unothodox tactics, and has been actively restructuring the somewhat ponderous, monolithic army to a more fluid and adaptable force, capable of operations of any size in any terrain. Tybalt also has a desire to prove the old truism about a Hendrake King false, and feels that he's just the leader to do it. The New Hendrake will see a King in it's future if he has anything to say about it... if not him, then a member of his faction. A popular leader with most of his house, disliked by a few of the stauncher ultraconservatives. Gawain - Marshal of Hendrake, a position right under the dukeship. Gawain is possibly the deadliest blade in Chaos, having defeated Borel himself in the past (the two were bitter rivals). Less subtle than his Duke, he is still a supporter of the pro-Amber, pro-reform faction. A gruff, older Lord of Chaos who oversaw the weapons training for most of the prominient figures of Chaos. Torg - High Chaplain of the Serpent, the highest religious authority in the house. Also the house expert on the Logrus. Generally aligned with the leadership on most issues, although decidedly cool on the subject of Amber and openly against the worship of Amberites. Koa - One of the leading lights of the younger generation, and one of the best swordsmen in the house. Captain of the Redsky Watch, and the friend and rival of Ishmael. Regarded as a possible candidate for the Dukeship after Tybalt vacates the office. Benedict cultist. Ishmael - Jurist of Hendrake; the position commonly given to the judge and mediator of Hendrake internal disputes. The Hendrake Jurist is often called in to mediate affairs in Chaos due to the house's tradition of strength, lack of royal ambition, and honor; Ishmael has thus far proven acceptable in this role. Another of the leading figures of the younger generation; one of the more frightening bladesmen for Hendrake, which is saying something. Allied closely with Tybalt. Gilva - Hellmaid, one of the leading young conservatives. Pro- Amber but anti-reform; looks on Tybalt somewhat the way a moderate republican would look on Clinton. Merlin - Technically, despite his mother's change of allegance, Merlin is still a part of House Hendrake. In practice, he doesn't really seem to be a part of any house. Revered Figures: Hendrake - Semi-mythical founder of the house. Reputedly the forger of the first weapon, a sort of spiked club, and the inventor of the concept of coordinated attack. Benedict - The Amberite held in awe by Hendrake. A popular tradition holds that his mother was a Hendrake noblewoman; this claim is probably invention. Generally regarded as the model of the warrior's art. Lintra - The hellmaid who invaded Avalon, Lintra is revered for several things. First, she was the lover of the great Benedict, bringing his issue into the house. Second, she was perhaps the epitome of the Hellmaid, a true model for female warriors. Third, she cut off Benedict's arm, which is really, really impressive. Borel - Only revered by the ultraconservatives. Most of the house looks upon him as an inflexible, pompous failure. Corwin - Some few of the liberal faction, Ishmael included, honor Corwin's 'do it at all costs', realistic approach. Geneology: Hendrake(?) | | | | | \_Lintra + Benedict Borel__/ | | Tybalt | Brunhelme | | Lara Dara + Corwin | | Ishmael Merlin Holdings: The Ways of Hendrake, the ancestral citadel of the house, is one of the rare house seats that predates the Pattern. A fortress in every sense of the word, it tends to be even more hostile than the normal houses of Chaos; lakes of fire, great chasms, etc. Hendrake also has numerous Ways throughout the Courts, citadels owned either by the house itself for privately by Lords of the house. Over half of the military bases and camps in Chaos are owned by Hendrake in fact if not in name. To round out the land aspect, Hendrake maintains bases throughout the Black Zone and the Chaos side of shadow. In other assets, Hendrake has perhaps the largest base of fighting men in Chaos, and close ties with a number of the more warlike demon clans. In addition, there is a sort of Hendrake Cult of Personality within the Army of Chaos, making the armed forces as a whole sympathetic to the house. A mine of the Pattern-and-Logrus-resistant Tre-Stone is located on a highly-valued Hendrake holding, and produces a great deal of the material every year. The house's main weakness lies in Logrus and Sorcery, neither of which the house has shown great promise in. The one prodigy in those areas, Dara, has left the house; and Merlin, who shows similar promise, is only loosely affiliated. This is not to say that there are no wielders of either art within Hendrake; just that they are not found in the quantity or skill of the rest of the great houses of Chaos.